WBAI-FM Upcoming Program
Golden Age of Radio

Sun, Nov 19, 2017   7:00 PM

THANKSGIVING WITH JACK BENNY, GILDERSLEEVE, JACK WEBB

Thanksgiving shows from JACK BENNY, Jack Webb as JEFF REGAN, INVESTIGATOR, and THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE, and a classic musical kids show LAND OF THE LOST, all tonight November 19 from 7 to 9 pm EST on WBAI-NY at 99.5 FM, and streaming live at wbai.org.

NIGHT BEAT is taking the night off, and maybe the season – we've featured it for several months so maybe it's time for a change! SAM SPADE, anyone??

At 7 we'll present the show that ruled that time slot on Sundays for many many years – THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM. We have an uncut recording made on Nov 19, 1953 of the Thanksgiving broadcast for Nov 29, 1953. Jack and Mary go shopping for a Thanksgiving Turkey. The Sportsmen sing a Luckies commercial to the tune of, "Thanks." With Mary Livingstone, Artie Auerbach, Bob Crosby, Dennis Day, Don Wilson, Mel Blanc, Eddie Anderson, Harry Shearer, and The Sportsmen Quartet. Written by John Tackaberry, Milt Josefsberg, Sam Perrin, Al Gordon, George Balzer, and Hal Goldman, produced by Hilliard Marks, music by Mahlon Merrick, Dorothy Collins (commercial spokesman).

There's murder in Lead, Pencilvania on THE LAND OF THE LOST! The show sounds like a cartoon soundtrack, and indeed, the program launched cartoons, comic books, and a hard-cover book. The radio show was created by Isabel Manning Hewson, who also narrated stories on air. It premiered on NBC Red on Oct 09, 1943, and the show bounced around to most of the networks, winding up on ABC where the run ended in 1948. This 1947 example was directed by Cyril Armbrister, with vocal arrangements by Peggy Marshall, lyrics by Barbara Miller, musical background by John Winters, and announcer Stewart Metz. Sadly the cast isn't credited, but it sure sounds like the voice of Mae Questal (Olive Oyl in the Popeye cartoons) among the actors. Red Lantern, the talking fish who leads kids Isabel and Billy through the undersea kingdom where all lost things go, was played at various times by Junius Matthews, Art Carney, and William Keene. Betty Jane Tyler was the voice of the young Isabel, and Ray Ives was the voice of Billy.

There's more murder with Jack Webb as JEFF REGAN, INVESTIGATOR on the Thanksgiving show from CBS on Nov 20, 1948 "The Pilgrim's Progress." At a Thanksgiving turkey shoot, Regan gets the bird and it's not the turkey that gets shot, it's Miles Standish! With Herb Butterfield, Mary Lansing, Paul Frees, Marvin Miller, Paul Dubov, written by Larry Roman & Jackson Gillis, produced by Sterling Tracy, organ music by Milton Charles, announcer Bob Stevenson.

Gildy invites some soldiers to share his Thanksgiving turkey on this first season episode of THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE from NBC on Nov 16, 1941. With Earle Ross, Hans Conried, Harold Peary, Lillian Randolph, Lurene Tuttle, Walter Tetley, music by Billy Mills, but billed as "William Randolph." Jim Bannon-announcer.

Read more

headline photo